During his first year in office, Mayor Kasim Reed set the goal for Atlanta to become one of the top ten sustainable cities in the nation. Achieving this goal would improve the quality of life of Atlanta’s citizens by enhancing the environment, while at
the same time supporting job creation and long-term economic growth. Mayor Reed has charged the Atlanta city government to adopt a culture dedicated to environmental sustainability through innovative leadership. Mayor Reed is committing to continual improvement
in sustainability practices and to lead by example through the development and implementation of policies and activities that support environmental sustainability. In October 2010, Mayor Reed and the Office of Sustainability launched the City’s first sustainability
plan, known as Power to Change. One of nine goals of this program is to reduce, reuse and recycle 30% of the city residential waste by 2013, 50% by 2015, 90% by 2020. ZWZ membership is critical to meeting the City's zero waste goals.